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Apr. 18th, 2008 12:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jianantonicIf you don't want to read the following post, which will be all about bridge, please entertain yourself with this alternate blog instead. Is that too repetitive? "Alternate instead." Yeah, probably. Anyway, it's today's Ask AisleDash advice column, and it's a good one, I feel.
Anyway, the bridge. So I'm playing again with the bunnies from Baltimore. We're in the semis of a KO in the afternoon, guaranteed 4.11 points, which they're all very excited about. The pair my partner and I were seated against were awful. They'd fuck up, and then one of them would bitch at the other one about how she'd fucked up, only her suggestion would be even worse than the original fuckup. I felt like we were up 100 after 12 boards. Here was my favorite board:
LHO holds JTxxx xx xx AKQJ in the second seat, unfavorable. After I pass, she passes. Here's the entire auction:
P- P - P - 1H
P - 1N(non-forcing!!) - P - 2C
P - 2H - all pass
When the dummy came down, she caught my look of astonishment and asked me why I was making faces. I didn't realize I was, but I said I was just planning my line of attack...which was bullshit because I had no line. No tricks to take, no signals to give -- this hand was wrapped up before it started. Despite the horrendous bidding, hearts is their best suit and they make 6 for 230. Ironically, this is the one hand they DON'T bitch at each other about. Heh. Anyway, the rest of the set was more of the same, and like I said, I felt like we were up 100, no exaggerating. So when that lead was only 13 after comparing (including lose 8 on the above board when our partners go for -150 somehow), I knew it was a bad sign. The opponents switched for the second half and the first two boards smelled like -8's. So much for our lead. We just weren't clicking as a team in this event, and we blew the lead and lost by 4 in the end. Not sure if I could've done anything about that. I mean, I could have, but would it have been right? Don't think so...
The team was very sweet and thanked me for playing with them and being so nice and helpful, and they really buttered me up and inflated my ego. I agreed to play with them in the single-session swiss, expecting a slaughter when we had to play against B and C teams. We came out of the gates strong, though, and I felt good about our first set. Win by 17. Rock on. The only problem is that big winners are matched against other big winners, and I had a feeling we'd be in trouble. Long story short, because it's nearly 1am: win by 17, win by 17, win by 8, win by 10. 62 VPs in four rounds for 3/2/2 B/C/D and 8.54 points in the 110+ team event. I was so proud of the team. If my teammate hadn't revoked on one board (trumping her own good trick for a very large swing in the last round after the revoking penalty), it would've been enough VP's to win the event, I think, but I'm not going to mention that to them. They played very well and I was proud of them. I hadn't thought to look at the MPs for the C/D places, figuring that 3rd in B was the best payout, so I told them we won 7.33, which absolutely thrilled them. But when I looked closer, it was actually 8.54 for 2nd in C, so I'll get to be the bearer of good news tomorrow (if they don't get to the bulletins first). We picked up 13 points on the day together, which is HUGE for I/N players. They were so happy, and really great to play with. It wasn't without its frustrations, but I think that our finish in the swiss tonight is a more respectable triumph than winning our bracket 26 KO would've been, and we got more points this way, too (4.11 from the KO 3/4 finish and 8.54 instead of just 11 for winning the KO). I was just really happy to be able to help these folks win what they did, because they were really, really sweet teammates. They're going to come down for my sectional and regional, and they invited me to stay with them in Hunt Valley and offered to compensate me (in bourbon, at least) to play with them if I'm not playing with Z there. Good deal.
I'm just really, really pleased with today's results. The KO was a little demoralizing, but the swiss was totally awesome. Oh yeah and my dinnerbell team won, too, to finish 3rd in that event. One board shy of a BRQ...oh well. Considering I've played exclusively with pickup partners the last few days, I'm quite pleased with the results. And I'm proud of my game, too. I've made some errors, but I do feel really solid, and I'm happy with myself. I think I get to play with Jeremy tomorrow, but I'm not 100% on that...get to have dinner with him, anyway. :) Other than that, I'm giving myself the day off. I'll try to do some writing, since I haven't done much of that this week, and I'll wander down to the playing site to kibitz my sweetie in the afternoon.
For now, I'm going to sleep.
Peace.
Anyway, the bridge. So I'm playing again with the bunnies from Baltimore. We're in the semis of a KO in the afternoon, guaranteed 4.11 points, which they're all very excited about. The pair my partner and I were seated against were awful. They'd fuck up, and then one of them would bitch at the other one about how she'd fucked up, only her suggestion would be even worse than the original fuckup. I felt like we were up 100 after 12 boards. Here was my favorite board:
LHO holds JTxxx xx xx AKQJ in the second seat, unfavorable. After I pass, she passes. Here's the entire auction:
P- P - P - 1H
P - 1N(non-forcing!!) - P - 2C
P - 2H - all pass
When the dummy came down, she caught my look of astonishment and asked me why I was making faces. I didn't realize I was, but I said I was just planning my line of attack...which was bullshit because I had no line. No tricks to take, no signals to give -- this hand was wrapped up before it started. Despite the horrendous bidding, hearts is their best suit and they make 6 for 230. Ironically, this is the one hand they DON'T bitch at each other about. Heh. Anyway, the rest of the set was more of the same, and like I said, I felt like we were up 100, no exaggerating. So when that lead was only 13 after comparing (including lose 8 on the above board when our partners go for -150 somehow), I knew it was a bad sign. The opponents switched for the second half and the first two boards smelled like -8's. So much for our lead. We just weren't clicking as a team in this event, and we blew the lead and lost by 4 in the end. Not sure if I could've done anything about that. I mean, I could have, but would it have been right? Don't think so...
The team was very sweet and thanked me for playing with them and being so nice and helpful, and they really buttered me up and inflated my ego. I agreed to play with them in the single-session swiss, expecting a slaughter when we had to play against B and C teams. We came out of the gates strong, though, and I felt good about our first set. Win by 17. Rock on. The only problem is that big winners are matched against other big winners, and I had a feeling we'd be in trouble. Long story short, because it's nearly 1am: win by 17, win by 17, win by 8, win by 10. 62 VPs in four rounds for 3/2/2 B/C/D and 8.54 points in the 110+ team event. I was so proud of the team. If my teammate hadn't revoked on one board (trumping her own good trick for a very large swing in the last round after the revoking penalty), it would've been enough VP's to win the event, I think, but I'm not going to mention that to them. They played very well and I was proud of them. I hadn't thought to look at the MPs for the C/D places, figuring that 3rd in B was the best payout, so I told them we won 7.33, which absolutely thrilled them. But when I looked closer, it was actually 8.54 for 2nd in C, so I'll get to be the bearer of good news tomorrow (if they don't get to the bulletins first). We picked up 13 points on the day together, which is HUGE for I/N players. They were so happy, and really great to play with. It wasn't without its frustrations, but I think that our finish in the swiss tonight is a more respectable triumph than winning our bracket 26 KO would've been, and we got more points this way, too (4.11 from the KO 3/4 finish and 8.54 instead of just 11 for winning the KO). I was just really happy to be able to help these folks win what they did, because they were really, really sweet teammates. They're going to come down for my sectional and regional, and they invited me to stay with them in Hunt Valley and offered to compensate me (in bourbon, at least) to play with them if I'm not playing with Z there. Good deal.
I'm just really, really pleased with today's results. The KO was a little demoralizing, but the swiss was totally awesome. Oh yeah and my dinnerbell team won, too, to finish 3rd in that event. One board shy of a BRQ...oh well. Considering I've played exclusively with pickup partners the last few days, I'm quite pleased with the results. And I'm proud of my game, too. I've made some errors, but I do feel really solid, and I'm happy with myself. I think I get to play with Jeremy tomorrow, but I'm not 100% on that...get to have dinner with him, anyway. :) Other than that, I'm giving myself the day off. I'll try to do some writing, since I haven't done much of that this week, and I'll wander down to the playing site to kibitz my sweetie in the afternoon.
For now, I'm going to sleep.
Peace.
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Date: 2008-04-19 12:00 am (UTC)In either case, you and Jeremy should pwn face tomorrow.